Detailed Description

The Invoke-WmiMethod cmdlet calls the methods of WMI objects.

New CIM cmdlets, introduced Windows PowerShell 3.0, perform the same tasks as the WMI cmdlets. The CIM cmdlets comply with WS-Management (WSMan) standards and with the Common Information Model (CIM) standard, which enables the cmdlets to use the same techniques to manage Windows computers and those running other operating systems. Instead of using Invoke-WmiMethod, consider using Invoke-CimMethod.

Parameters

-ArgumentList<Object[]>

Specifies the parameters to pass to the called method. The value of this parameter must be an array of objects, and they must appear in the order required by the called method (note that new Invoke-CimCommand does not have these limitations).

To determine the order in which to list those objects, run the GetMethodParameters() method on the WMI class, as illustrated in Example 1, near the end of this topic.

Important: If the first value is an array that contains more than one element, a second value of $null is required. Otherwise, the command generates an error, such as "Unable to cast object of type 'System.Byte' to type 'System.Array'.".

An example using an array of objects ($binSD) followed by a null value ($null) follows:

-AsJob

Runs the command as a background job. Use this parameter to run commands that take a long time to finish.

When you use the AsJob parameter, the command returns an object that represents the background job and then displays the command prompt. You can continue to work in the session while the job finishes. If Invoke-WmiMethod is used against a remote computer, the job is created on the local computer, and the results from remote computers are automatically returned to the local computer. To manage the job, use the cmdlets that contain the Job noun (the Job cmdlets). To get the job results, use the Receive-Job cmdlet.

Note: To use this parameter with remote computers, the local and remote computers must be configured for remoting. Additionally, you must start Windows PowerShell by using the "Run as administrator" option in Windows Vista and later versions of Windows. For more information, see about_Remote_Requirements.

-Authentication<AuthenticationLevel>

Specifies the authentication level to be used with the WMI connection. Valid values are:

-1: Unchanged

0: Default

1: None (No authentication in performed.)

2: Connect (Authentication is performed only when the client establishes a relationship with the application.)

3: Call (Authentication is performed only at the beginning of each call when the application receives the request.)

4: Packet (Authentication is performed on all the data that is received from the client.)

5: PacketIntegrity (All the data that is transferred between the client and the application is authenticated and verified.)

6: PacketPrivacy (The properties of the other authentication levels are used, and all the data is encrypted.)

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

0

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Authority<String>

Specifies the authority to use to authenticate the WMI connection. You can specify standard NTLM or Kerberos authentication. To use NTLM, set the authority setting to ntlmdomain:<DomainName>, where <DomainName> identifies a valid NTLM domain name. To use Kerberos, specify kerberos:<DomainName\ServerName>. You cannot include the authority setting when you connect to the local computer.

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Class<String>

Specifies the WMI class that contains a static method to call.

Aliases

none

Required?

true

Position?

1

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ComputerName<String[]>

Runs the command on the specified computers. The default is the local computer.

Type the NetBIOS name, an IP address, or a fully qualified domain name of one or more computers. To specify the local computer, type the computer name, a dot (.), or "localhost".

This parameter does not rely on Windows PowerShell remoting. You can use the ComputerName parameter even if your computer is not configured to run remote commands.

Aliases

Cn

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Local computer

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Credential<PSCredential>

Specifies a user account that has permission to perform this action. The default is the current user. Type a user name, such as "User01", "Domain01\User01", or User@Contoso.com. Or, enter a PSCredential object, such as an object that is returned by the Get-Credential cmdlet. When you type a user name, you will be prompted for a password.

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Current user

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-EnableAllPrivileges

Enables all the privileges of the current user before the command makes the WMI call.

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

False

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Impersonation<ImpersonationLevel>

Specifies the impersonation level to use. Valid values are:

0: Default (Reads the local registry for the default impersonation level, which is usually set to "3: Impersonate".)

1: Anonymous (Hides the credentials of the caller.)

2: Identify (Allows objects to query the credentials of the caller.)

3: Impersonate (Allows objects to use the credentials of the caller.)

4: Delegate (Allows objects to permit other objects to use the credentials of the caller.)

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

0

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-InputObject<ManagementObject>

Specifies a ManagementObject object to use as input. When this parameter is used, all other parameters except the Flag and Argument parameters are ignored.

Aliases

none

Required?

true

Position?

named

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

True (ByValue)

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Locale<String>

Specifies the preferred locale for WMI objects. Specify the value of the Locale parameter as an array in the MS_<LCID> format in the preferred order.

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Name<String>

Specifies the name of the method to be invoked. This parameter is mandatory and cannot be null or empty.

Aliases

none

Required?

true

Position?

2

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Namespace<String>

When used with the Class parameter, this parameter specifies the WMI repository namespace where the referenced WMI class or object is located.

Aliases

NS

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Path<String>

Specifies the WMI object path of a WMI class, or specifies the WMI object path of an instance of a WMI class. The class or the instance that you specify must contain the method that is specified in the Name parameter.

Aliases

none

Required?

true

Position?

named

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ThrottleLimit<Int32>

Allows the user to specify a throttling value for the number of WMI operations that can be executed simultaneously. This parameter is used together with the AsJob parameter. The throttle limit applies only to the current command, not to the session or to the computer.

Aliases

none

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

none

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

false

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

false

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

<CommonParameters>

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Verbose, -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -OutBuffer, and -OutVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=113216).

Inputs

The input type is the type of the objects that you can pipe to the cmdlet.

None

This cmdlet does not accept any input.

Outputs

The output type is the type of the objects that the cmdlet emits.

None

This cmdlet does not generate any output.

Examples

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 1 --------------------------

To invoke WMI in PowerShell 3.0 differs from alternate methods, and requires that object values are entered in a specific order. This command lists the required order of the objects.